What Lightning Silicon does

Lightning Silicon Technology, Inc. (LST) is a privately held startup founded in January 2023 as a spin-out from Kopin Corporation, headquartered in Newark, California. The company designs and manufactures OLED microdisplays and optical components for augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) headset manufacturers, with secondary applications in camera electronic viewfinders, defense/night vision, and wearable entertainment. Its product portfolio spans six OLED microdisplay models ranging from a 0.26-inch VGA (640x480) to a 1.3-inch 2.6K x 2.6K (2560x2560) display, an all-plastic Pancake optics platform with field of view up to 105°, custom silicon backplane wafers, and integrated display modules combining microdisplays with optics in a housing.

LST's technical foundation is built on intellectual property licensed from Kopin Corporation — 30 patents/applications and seven OLED microdisplay products — supplemented by its own patent-pending Pancake optics design. Core technology assets include a patented Si backplane architecture emphasizing low power, small pixel pitch, and high yield; a proprietary foundry-processed anode layer that simplifies OLED deposition and is compatible with any OLED foundry; and the ColorMax anode structure that suppresses color mixing in tandem OLED stacks to improve current efficiency and lifetime. The Pancake optics platform uses aspherical plastic lenses with negligible birefringence, marketed as offering the widest field of view in the smallest, lightest form factor in its class.

The company operates a B2B enterprise sales motion, selling OLED microdisplays, Si backplane wafers, optics, and display modules directly to OEM/ODM manufacturers, with quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed price list. Manufacturing is asset-light and executed through partnerships: Si wafer foundries produce backplane wafers, OLED foundries handle OLED deposition, and a planned 12-inch OLED manufacturing line was announced in partnership with Lakeside Lightning Semiconductor to scale production of the 1.31-inch 2.6K x 2.6K display. Revenue and headcount are not publicly disclosed. As of April 2026, the Technology License Agreement with Kopin was terminated and Kopin fully exited its equity position in June 2026, leaving LST operating as an independent entity.

Name

Lightning Silicon

Legal name

Lightning Silicon Technology, Inc.

Website

https://lightning-silicon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lightning Silicon Technology, Inc., founded January 2023 as a spinout from Kopin Corporation, designs OLED microdisplays (0.26" to 1.3") and all-plastic Pancake optics targeting AR/VR/MR headset manufacturers, camera EVF makers, and defense/night vision equipment suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

OLED Microdisplays and Optics

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Electronic Components, Nec (3679), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Display & Illumination Components (MicroLED/OLED Drivers/Backlight Optics) (HDAHALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wafer Services & Reclaim (Epitaxy, Thinning, Reclaim) (HDAHACAH), Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG)

Keywords

• OLED microdisplays
• AR VR optics
• Pancake optics
• Silicon backplane wafers
• Microdisplay manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. OLED Microdisplays: Sale of finished OLED microdisplays ranging from 0.26" VGA to 1.3" 2.6K x 2.6K displays to customers in AR, VR, camera EVF, night vision, and wearable applications
2. Si Backplane Wafers: Provides Si backplane wafers with custom designs to OLED foundries, who then integrate OLED structures on the backplanes
3. Pancake Optics: All-plastic Pancake optics for MR, VR and AR applications, sold as optical components
4. Display Modules: Complete display modules comprising microdisplay and optics assembled in a housing, providing integrated solutions to customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Lightning Silicon designs, manufactures, and sells OLED microdisplays (VGA through 2.6K x 2.6K resolution), silicon backplane wafers, all-plastic Pancake optics, and integrated display modules for use in augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality headsets, camera electronic viewfinders, night vision scopes, and wearable entertainment devices. The company sells these components directly to OEM and ODM headset manufacturers and provides Si backplane wafers to OLED deposition foundries.

Product overview

Lightning Silicon Technology, Inc. (LST) is a spin-out from Kopin Corporation (January 2023) specializing in OLED microdisplays and optics for AR/VR/MR applications. The product portfolio includes six OLED microdisplay models (VGA through 2.6K x 2.6K resolution), all-plastic Pancake® Optics, OLED backplane wafers (including custom designs), and display modules combining microdisplays with optics. The microdisplays range from 0.26" to 1.3" diagonal sizes with MIPI/Mini LVDS/RGB interfaces and frame rates up to 120 Hz. The company's core technologies include Si backplane designs for OLED microdisplays and compact, lightweight all-plastic Pancake optics with field of view up to 105°.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VGA OLED Microdisplay 640 x 480 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 0.26-inch diagonal size, supporting RGB/YCbCr interface, 30–120 Hz frame rates, 5000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; targeted at AR, camera EVFs, and compact display applications.
• XGA-S OLED Microdisplay 1024 x 768 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 0.39-inch diagonal size, supporting RGB/YCbCr interface, 30–120 Hz frame rates, 5000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; targeted at AR, camera EVFs, night vision, and wearable applications.
• XGA OLED Microdisplay 1024 x 768 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 0.61-inch diagonal size, supporting RGB/YCbCr interface, 20–120 Hz frame rates, 5000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; targeted at AR, camera EVFs, night vision, and wearable applications.
• 720p OLED Microdisplay 1280 x 720 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 0.49-inch diagonal size, supporting RGB/YCbCr interface, 60–120 Hz frame rates, 5000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; targeted at AR, wearable movie viewing, and compact VR applications.
• 2K x 2K OLED Microdisplay 2048 x 2048 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 0.99-inch diagonal size, supporting Mini LVDS interface, 60–120 Hz frame rates, 3000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; targeted at VR headsets and high-end AR applications.
• 2.6K x 2.6K OLED Microdisplay 2560 x 2560 resolution OLED microdisplay with a 1.3-inch diagonal size, supporting MIPI interface, 60–120 Hz frame rates, 2000 nits brightness, and greater than 100% sRGB color gamut; the world's largest 1.31-inch 2.6K x 2.6K display, targeted at premium AR/VR/MR headsets.
• Pancake Optics All-plastic Pancake optics for VR, AR, and MR applications providing a large 95°–105° field of view with superior image quality in a smaller size and lighter weight than previous solutions; provides the largest magnification factor on the market, achieving up to 105° (H/V) field of view from a 1.3-inch microdisplay.
• OLED Backplane Wafers Silicon backplane wafers for OLED microdisplays, including custom designs, featuring low power consumption, fast speed, small pixel sizes, high yields, and ease of processing by any OLED deposition foundry; sold to OLED foundries for OLED deposition integration.
• Display Modules Integrated display modules comprising an OLED microdisplay and Pancake optics assembled in a housing, providing a turnkey display solution for AR/VR headset manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Field of view up to 105° (H/V) from 1.3" microdisplay
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered manufacturing partnership, former parent/spinout - now terminated and core manufacturing partner.

• Lakeside Lightning Semiconductormanufacturing partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2023Announced plan for 12" OLED manufacturing line to launch the world's largest 1.31-inch 2.6k x 2.6k display in partnership with Kopin Corporation. This represents a strategic manufacturing partnership for scaling OLED display production.
• Kopin Corporationformer parent/spinout - now terminatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023LST was spun out of Kopin in January 2023 by former Kopin executives and engineers. LST licensed foundational intellectual properties from Kopin including 30 patents/applications and 7 OLED microdisplay products. By June 2026, Kopin fully exited its equity stakes in LST and LS Assets, and terminated the Technology License Agreement (executed April 10, 2024), with Kopin receiving a perpetual royalty-free license to LST OLED microdisplay technology and paying $7.50 per display royalties on certain orders through October 2026.
• Si Wafer Foundry Partnerscore manufacturing partnerTechnology or IntegrationLST works with Si wafer foundry partners to produce Si backplane wafers, which are then provided to OLED foundries for OLED deposition and display manufacturing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lightning Silicon